"What miserable woman's terrors!" cried Sir Ralph, worn out by their emotion; "in a moment a dead rabbit will be brought to you in triumph, and you will laugh at yourselves."
"No, Ralph," said Madame Delmare, walking with a firm step toward the door, "I tell you that human blood has been shed."
Noun uttered a piercing shriek and fell upon her face.
The next moment they heard Lelièvre's voice in the park:
"He's there! he's there! Well aimed, my colonel! the brigand is down!"
Sir Ralph began to be excited. He followed Madame Delmare. A few moments later a man covered with blood and giving no sign of life was brought under the peristyle.
"Not so much noise! less shrieking!" said the colonel with rough gayety to the terrified servants who crowded around the wounded man; "this is only a joke; my gun was loaded with nothing but salt. Indeed I don't think I touched him; he fell from fright."
"But what about this blood, monsieur?" said Madame Delmare in a profoundly reproachful tone, "was it fear that caused it to flow?"
"Why are you here, madame?" cried Monsieur Delmare, "what are you doing here?"
"I have come to repair the harm that you have done, as it is my duty to do," replied Madame Delmare coldly.